EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — As the Broncos' 34-17 victory against the New York Jets wound down on a cold, rainy night in New Jersey, Jets quarterback Brett Favre still was firing.

The probable future Hall of Famer lined up in shotgun and lobbed pass after pass — 14 in a row — in a last-ditch effort for a fourth-quarter comeback.

This time, though, Favre's arm and gunslinger mentality weren't enough as his final fourth-down throw was batted away in the end zone by Broncos cornerback Josh Bell.

Favre's final numbers were pedestrian — 23-of-43 for 247 yards. He threw no touchdown passes and one interception, to Denver's Dre Bly, the same cornerback Favre beat for an overtime touchdown with the Packers last season.

"I know that he likes to throw the ball deep, and I know he has a lot of confidence in his arm," Broncos safety Vernon Fox said. "I was hoping he'd throw one over the top, and Dre was the recipient of that one."

Favre attributed the loss — which ended a five-game winning streak — to poor play all around, including his own.

"They are simple things," Favre said. "The fundamentals of the game — throwing, catching, blocking, tackling, all those things. Those things, (Denver) did better than us."

The Broncos sacked Favre twice — both in the third quarter. The first sack came as Favre looked to pass on fourth down. On the second, Favre was sacked by Denver defensive end Elvis Dumervil, and the quarterback fumbled.

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Still, Dumervil was deferential to Favre after the game, as were several of his Denver teammates, including receiver Brandon Stokley, who posed for a photograph with Favre on the field.

"He's got good pocket presence," Dumervil said. "He doesn't have to run. He moves around the pocket. He might not run across the line of scrimmage, but he moves and makes plays happen."

Not all kids who play baseball are uniformed with fancy script across their chests, traveling to $1,000 instructional camps and drilled how to properly hit the cut-off man. Some kids just play to play.